The Problem: Waivers were intended to provide a temporary pause of work requirements during economic crisis, but federal loopholes have allowed states to game the system by gerrymandering areas and using old data, keeping millions of able-bodied adults trapped in dependency. The U.S. economy is booming with near record-low unemployment, yet more than a third of the country still lives in an area where able-bodied adults are exempt food stamp work requirements.
The Solution: Congress and the Trump administration should take steps to close this massive loophole and rein in waiver abuse to protect resources for the truly needy and move able-bodied adults from welfare to work.
